COMMUNITY champion Haf Thomas is stamping her mark on local fundraising.

The 46-year-old from Llanrug has been collecting thousands of postage stamps to raise funds to help the blind and partially-sighted children.

During the past year, the Gwynedd Council worker, who has Down’s Syndrome, has collected 60,000 stamps and to date she has raised £1,100 for the North Wales Society for the Blind.

Her colleagues, friends and family members have all been helping her to collect stamps, which are sold on to collectors or recycled and sold by weight.

Over the years, Haf has raised more than £50,000 via various novel fundraising schemes, including making and selling homemade Christmas cards and collecting 5p coins.

She was recently named overall winner in the community champion of the year category of the Your Champions Awards, which celebrates the region’s unsung heroes.

Haf said: “I like collecting stamps very much and I am very glad to be able to help other people by selling them and raising money. I have had help from the people at the county council and from my friends and family who save the stamps for me.”

Stephen Thomas, chief executive of the North Wales Society for the Blind’s resource centre on Bangor High Street, said: “We are extremely appreciative of all of Haf’s hard work.

“Her donations have enabled us to help blind and partially-sighted children by providing grants for equipment and opportunities for families to come together to try new activities, gain confidence and share experiences with each other.

“Haf is a remarkable fundraiser who has raised in excess of £50,000 for local and national charities. She often thinks of new and novel ways of raising funds to help people, and her latest venture is no different.

“She is currently collecting used postage stamps which are then sold on to collectors across the country to raise funds for charity; this year alone, she has collected over 60,000 used stamps which have raised over £1,100.”

Anyone who has any stamps to donate can contact 01286 673929.